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Independent, elegant, high-end restaurant, big city in Texas, no unions. Each day 100-120 patrons for lunch ($50 per person) and 80-100 patrons for dinner ($75 per person); closed Sun-Mon. Private parties and some offsite catering. Over $3.85 million in total sales per year, serving 40000+ patrons per year. Four primary owner/investors.
Front: 75 seats, 20 tables, 4K bottles of wine in-house. One GM, one assist GM, Maitre D', six waiters, six assisitant waiters, four...

I went to culinary school after having worked in steak and seafood places for six years, AND, after having just graduated from a four-year university.
I went LCB-Paris in 1979, long before the foodie culture took off (I chose that school BECAUSE it was in PARIS; I got to extern at a Michelin 2-star restaurant.)
Go to the best school that you can afford - do NOT take grants and/or loans. Going to a CC is perfectly fine - and you can get your AB. Be sure to choose you...

I have many resumes from prospective employees in my office drawer; I'll edit the person's name on one of them and post it; or I'll fax it to you.
Also, you need to state in your personal resume what you want to do for the next five years in the kitchen; flexability in "where" and for "whom" are ideas to ponder in your head, but you really need to look for a job that you are qualified for, and highlight that desire (you want to be an Exec.? say so.)
Stay tuned.

-do you have to pay most high end restaurants to work for them?
Yes, if it's an apprentice system used by the restaurant; as a non-EU citizen you can not normally work for pay in EU countries
-how much in us dollars did you pay?...and how much do you think it would cost nowdays?
I paid $ 200 a month in 1979; no idea of the cost now
-how long would you recomend to stay?
One year at least; or four to six months if you're a baker.
-do people think your...

Best thing that I ever did was go to Europe.
Here's my early resume:
Age - station
15 - dishwasher in seafood place
16 - bussboy in steak place
17 - moved to french place, entry level assistant to pantry, started college
18 - assistant to Pantry (demi); trained as waiter
19 - while working as demi in pantry began to assist saucier
20 - took over Pantry, started to demi at meat and fish; finished college
21 - chef recommeded that I go to France, then come...

Feeding people is an honorable profession; and what you're doing is just that: feeding OTHER people. How do you know this? Get out of the kitchen after the rush and go out and mingle with the patrons, they'll let you know. One's skills are his/hers but to achieve personal satifaction as a commercial cook one must be concerned with others' needs being satisfied.